The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has reopened a $1million fraud case against a one-time
Lagos socialite, Fred Ajudua.
The EFCC had instituted the case before a
Lagos High Court in February 2005 before Justice Morenikeji Obadina but
the matter was struck out in 2009 after Ajudua failed to appear before
the court on 24 occasions.
The anti-graft agency had alleged that
Fred Ajudua and one Joseph Ochunor sometimes in 1993 conspired to
defraud one Ziad Abu Zalaf of Technical International Limited based in
Germany.
According to EFCC, the duo had at
various times collected an aggregate sum of $1,043,000 from the German
businessman under the guise of financing a fictitious contract awarded
by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Justice Obadina had struck out the
charge in 2009, four years after Ajudua failed to appear for his trial
despite a warrant of arrest issued by the court against him.
However, when Ajudua resurfaced in 2013,
the EFCC formally applied to the Lagos Chief Judge to relist the
matter, which was eventually reassigned to Justice Josephine Oyefeso.
At yesterday’s proceedings, EFCC’s
counsel, Mr. Seidu Atteh, informed the court that the commission had in
January 25, 2017 filed a motion seeking to reopen the case.
In his response, Ajudua’s lawyer, Mr.
Norrison Quakers (SAN), informed the court that his client had already
filed a preliminary objection against the motion filed by the EFCC.
The matter, however, could not proceed
as the court refused to allow EFCC lawyer, Atteh, attempt to orally
respond to the defendant’s preliminary objection.
Justice Oyefeso adjourned the matter till March 13, 2017 for argument of the application.
Earlier, in a separate trial of Ajudua’s
alleged fraud against former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi
(rtd), of $4.8million, Ajudua through an application, asked the court to
strike out the charges against him.
The matter was however adjourned till
March 13, 2017 due to the inability of the EFCC team to serve the
defence with its response to the application seeking to quash the
charge.
Culled from Thisday
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